The Skyway in Disneyland was one of the most iconic attractions when it opened in 1956, all the way up until its extinction in 1994.
This was similar to the Disney Skyliner we have now in Disney World (but Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland did have their own versions of the Skyway in the 1900s; all were closed before the year 2000). This was an attraction that took guests from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland and vice versa in a small 2-person gondola, or a 4-person gondola in its later years. One of the most well-known Disney Imagineers, Bob Gurr, who worked on the attraction in its time, has just told guests some more history about the ride you may not know!
But first, some history (because who doesn’t love Disneyland attraction history?)! The Disneyland Skyway was built by Von Roll, Ltd, and was the first Von Roll Type 101 aerial ropeway when it opened in 1956. A few years later, it closed to accommodate the building of Matterhorn Bobsleds, and when it opened back up in 1959, it traveled straight through the attraction by way of two holes on the side of the mountain!
In 1965, it was Imagineer Bob Gurr who designed the 4-seater gondolas that were installed on the ride, doubling capacity from the previous 2-seaters. In a recent video posted on his Instagram, Bob Gurr let us in on a few secrets about the extinct attraction!
Bob starts by showing us the set of stairs in Fantasyland that led up to the Skyway station on that side of the park (which now is just forest). He shared that this was an electrically driven Skyway, which meant that they were in for some trouble when the ride went down. But no fear, they had a Volkswagen motor that Cast Members would hook up to the ride, warm up the engine, let out the clutch, and it would create the power needed to get all guests safely off the ride and back on the ground! Bob also shared that Disney had years of trouble with the attraction because the gripper that gripped the cable for each bucket was always wearing out, and Disney Imagineers had to constantly redesign it to avoid that issue.
In Bob’s words, “One day, the rules of the Skyway changed, and we didn’t meet the standards anymore. So we had to reluctantly remove it.” He also shared that after the removal of the Skyway, Disney filled in the holes in the Matterhorn, so anyone visiting today who doesn’t know the history has no visual evidence to see that the attraction was ever there! Well, except for those stairs, of course!
The cause of the Skyway closure has long been wondered and debated — at the time, a Disney spokesperson told the Orange County Register that it was due to declining popularity of the attraction, and that staff would need to be allocated toward the Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye attraction that opened in 1995. However, it appears that Bob Gurr has confirmed once and for all that the true reason for the closure was that the ride no longer met safety standards and had to be removed.
If you don’t follow Bob Gurr on Instagram, you definitely should. He posts fun pictures of the park and shares stories about the early days of Disneyland. In one post, he shared about the petrified tree at Disneyland. He said in 1956, Walt and Lilian Disney visited the Petrified Forest near Colorado Springs. For $1,650, Walt purchased a tree stump as an anniversary gift for Lilian. After saying it was too big for the mantel, they decided to have it placed in Disneyland.
If you want to learn more about the creation of Disneyland, there are also some specials you can watch! We love The Imagineering Story and Behind the Attractions, both available on Disney+, which offer a behind-the-scenes look into various areas and rides.
There was also a 20/20 ABC special for the Disneyland 70th anniversary that you can also watch on Disney+. Even if you’re a casual park goer, watching a special or two is a great way to appreciate the parks on a whole new level.
We love hearing stories like this from Disney Imagineers, both former and present, and we’ll be sure to keep sharing them with you, so stay tuned to AllEars!
I SPOKE TO 4 FORMER DISNEY WORLD CAST MEMBERS AND DESPITE THE HORROR STORIES, NONE REGRET IT
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Did you ever get to ride the Disneyland Skyway? Tell us in the comments!
I was born in 1961. Started going to Disneyland at age 2. Loved seeing the park from the air.
I was born in 1966 and this was a fav. My family rode this many times. Such a shame rides dissappear.
Nothing like Disneyland Ca.
Calling it “The 1900’s” hit me in the gut man ?
LOL. I feel you. I suspect this was probably a typo and they meant to say “the 1990’s,” but technically, “the 1900’s” is still true in context, even if it’s painful for some of us to process.
The safety codes changed when the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) was instituted.
Had nothing to do with ADA. All Von Roll VR 101s are Grandfathered into ANSI code B77.1
What I had heard was that after the Northridge earthquake, there were new rules put in place for safety, and because Disney would have to change the ride, they would also have to make it accessible. Due to Ada rules. It would no longer be grandfathered in since it had to be changed. I did ride it often. And I remember the 3-hour lines when Indiana Jones opened
As a SoCal resident I visited Disneyland often. My most memorable Skyway ride was when my wife and I were passing near the submarine lagoon and the bucket stopped. We were stuck there about 20 minutes before they got it running again.
Oh yeah. It was a great way to get from one side of the park to the other and offered a unique view of the park, as well. During times when the park was slow, you could stay on the ride and make it a round trip journey from where you started. Traveling through the Matterhorn was always fun as a kid too. You could see the bobsleds racing around. Those were the days.
Many times been going to Disneyland since 1958. Loved this ride from Fantsyland to Tommowland because of those steps. I tale pics of the few steps left for a group of Disney fans as a Trivia question n lots don’t know the history. I’m glad I do.